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Robey
rescued from a quarry lagoon ]] Robey and Co. was a firm based in Lincoln, England that built steam Rollers. Robey & Co Ltd was founded in 1854, by Robert Robey, as manufacturers of portable steam engines and thrashing machines. By 1862 they had expanded greatly and exhibited a display of agricultural equipment; "fixed engines, traction engines, ploughing tackle, corn mills, saw benches etc" at the Great Exhibition. Soon they extended the range to include a complete range of mining equipment from winding engines and pumping engines to locomotives, cages and kibbles (mine bucket). History By the turn of the century the firm had been incorporated into a limited company, the works had expanded to cover 15 acres and 20 000 engines and plant had been built. Stationary engines of many types were added to the range, such as the 'Quick Revolution' vertical, for electrical generation. Indeed Robey's 'Globe works' was said to be the first factory in the U.K. lit by electricity.(verification required) New range of traction engines was introduced and the steam wagon made its appearance in 1906, various models of which remained in production until 1934. Road rollers were made from 1914 and steam tractors enjoyed a ready sale. Road locomotives (Steam trucks) became popular, especially in overseas markets; a few still exist in Australia. An inspired innovation was the development of a tandem roller from the stayless wagon boiler and engine unit. Engines with simple slide valves, expansion gear, piston valves and drop valves were developed for application in many industries (our Class E is a good example of the latter). Colliery winders up to 84" stroke were amongst the largest of these, exported all over the world. Many are still in use in India and elsewhere. The Robey Trust owns one of three examples preserved in England. 'Overtypes', 'Superheater' and 'Uniflow' engines were sold, the latter, the most efficient type of steam engine made, being a speciality of the firm. Engines were made to every configuration; horizontal, vertical and diagonal; duplex, tandem and cross compound cylinders; open and high speed enclosed, all in a variety of sizes and powers. Robey made an early entry into the internal combustion engine market: for half a century vertical and horizontal oil and diesel engines were produced for diverse applications such as ship propulsion. Air compressors, rock crushers and hemp decorticators serve as examples to illustrate the wide range of products made. Robey's contribution to the war effort was considerable; in 1916 Sopwith aircraft and Short Seaplanes were built in large numbers; from 1939 production centred on gun mountings, frigate engines and other heavy items. After the war the capacity and expertise of the company was used to fabricate everything from converters for steelworks to parts for the Jodrell Bank radio telescope. In the firm's later years, however, package boilers in oil, gas or solid fuel fired versions were made in larger numbers: a new boiler barrel and tubeplate for the Robey Trust's Tandem roller was the last boiler made and tested at the works before closure in February 1988. Model Range * Stationary Steam engine * Gas engines * Oil engines * Steam roller * Steam Tractors Robey Trust Preservation List * Robey Portable, single cyl. c1875 * Robey no. 3331 - Thrashing Machine c1880 * Robey no. 12787 - Class A single cyl fixed engine 1892, Supplied new to Pearson's Pottery, Chesterfield, in 1892, this engine was rescued from the derelict remains of the pottery in 1972 by a local haulier. * Robey no. 31821 - Five ton Steam Tractor 1913 * Robey no. 32387 - Robey 3 point steam roller 1913 * Robey no. 42522 - Steam wagon - ex ? of Bollingbrook, Lincs * Robey no. 42693 - Tandem roller "Stumbles" 1925 * Robey no. 45655 - Tri-tandem roller 1930 - Herts Wanderer Preservation Preserved Robey steam engines Preserved Robey industrial engines A number of examples of Robey horizontal industrial engines exist in various museums * Anson Engine Museum * Bolton Steam Museum * add others here See also * Anson Engine Museum * Bressingham Steam Museum * Strumpshaw Hall Steam Museum * The Robey Trust Museum * List of Steam Machinery Manufacturers * List of Vehicles by registration number * List of Named Vehicles * Shows and Meets * Clubs Listing * Museums References / sources * The Robey Trust web site * Old Glory Magazine * Show guides External links * The Robey Trust web site * Robey Pictures on the Steam Scenes web site Category:Robey & Co. Category:Companies based in Lincolnshire Category:Companies of the United Kingdom Category:Defunct companies of the United Kingdom Category:Portable steam engine manufacturers Category:Steam roller manufacturers Category:Traction engine manufacturers Category:Steam machinery manufacturers Category:Oil engine manufacturers Category:Stationary steam engine manufacturers Category:Agricultural machinery manufacturers Category:Mining machinery manufacturers